US3403828A

US3403828A - Dispensing container

Info

Publication number: US3403828A
Application number: US670458A
Authority: US
Inventors: William F Frank
Original assignee: Monsanto Co
Current assignee: Monsanto Co
Priority date: 1967-09-25
Filing date: 1967-09-25
Publication date: 1968-10-01
Anticipated expiration: 1985-10-01

Description

Oct. 1, 1968 w. F. FRANK I 3,

DISPENSING CONTAINER Original Filed Dec. 16, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 WILLIAM E FRANK nvvsru'rov? FIG. I

Oct. 1, 1968 w. F. FRANK 3,403,828

DISPENSING CONTAINER Original Filed Dec. 16, 1965 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F16. Y FI6-EI WILLIAM F. FRANK )NVENTOI? Oct. 1, 1968 w, FRANK 3,403,828

' DISPENSING CONTAINER Original Filed Dec. 16, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 WILLIAM E FRANK INVENTOE FIG. 12

United States Patent 3,403,828 DISPENSING CONTAINER William F. Frank, Fairfax, Va., assiguor to Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Continuation of application Ser. No. 514,272, Dec. 16, 1965. This application Sept. 25, 1967, Ser. No. 670,458 3 Claims. (Cl. 222-486) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a container and closure structure wherein the open neck of the container is provided with an indentation, which indentation is further provided with an inwardly-outwardly orientated wedge-shaped base surface, which base surface is in turn in sliding contact with a stop block provided on the inside of the closure wherein limited rotational movement of the closure with relationship to the container respectively uncovers and covers dispensing openings Within the top surface of the closure in communication with the indentation.

This is a continuation of Ser. No. 514,272, filed Dec. 16, 1965, and now abandoned.

The present invention relates generally to a novel dispenser useful for dispensing powders, granules, or the like, and liquids under certain conditions. More specifically, it relates to a new and useful dispenser which has the combined advantages of simplicity and economy, ease in assembly and filling.

Dispensers for these purposes have been made of paper or glass. Those made of resinous polymeric materials have become of increasing importance in the field of packaging in recent years. These plastic containers are now finding application in the use as dispensers for powder and granulated materials, such as baby powder, cosmetics, seasonings, and the like. Their use as dispensers of liquids has usually been as a squeeze type container. Most dispensers in commercial use suffer from several disadvantages, including elaborate preassembly requirements, unusual filling line assembly restrictions, and high cost. The design of many also precludes complete emptying of the container or, at best, requires considerable shaking. The problem of sealing the contents against the effects of moisture in the air has not been eliminated. The failure of the contents to return to the container portion after use frequently prevents the closure from sealing or causes the closure to adhere to the container to make replacement of the contents difficult. In addition, the commercially available plastic containers are usually designed to provide a maximum sized orifice to facilitate filling of the containers and hence are often susceptible to sifting during shipment.

It has been found that the container constructed in accordance with the present invention overcomes all these disadvantages of the prior art, particularly in regard to economy, simplicity of construction and surety of operation.

It is the object of this invention to provide the art with a simple and economical dispenser having a one-piece closure and moldable container and having all the prerequisites for a commercially feasible, readily assembled dispenser.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a container for use in a dispenser formed of a synthetic plastic material and containing a circular opening having an annular self-emptying indentation in the rim of the opening and a locking bead On the outside of the opening, the opening being adapted to cooperate with a closure to produce a uniquely useful dispenser.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a ice container having a closure suitable for slidingly engaging the circular opening of the container in sealing engagement, said closure having a stop block positioned on its inner surface which cooperates with the annular indentation in the opening of the container to provide limited rotational movement of theclosure on the tubular neck and to direct undispensed material back into the container and a flexible ring to lock the closure to the container.

Generally, the present invention relatesto a dispenser comprising an Open end container having at least one identation partially around its periphery adjacent said open end, said container also having locking means around its periphery adjacent said open end and said indentation; and a dispensing closure adapted to telescope over the open end of said container and engage said locking means whereby vertical movement of the closure with respect to the container is prevented; said closure comprising a top and a skirt depending therefrom, said closure having a plurality of dispensing openings in said top and also having integral therewith a rotation limiting stop block depending from the underside of the top adjacent the openings, said stop block being in continual sliding engagement within said indentation.

The invention will be best understood from the following description read in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE I is a perspective view of one embodiment of the container constructed in accordance with this invention.

FIGURE 11 is a partial perspective view illustrating another embodiment of the container of this invention.

FIGURE III is a partial sectional view in perspective illustrating the closure of this invention adaptable for the containers shown in FIGURES I and II.

FIGURE IV is a partial, sectional view of the dispenser of this invention taken along lines A-A of FIGURE III.

FIGURE V is a partial sectional view taken through both the indentation and stop block positioned therein showing the closure fitted to the container of FIGURE I.

FIGURE VI is a further partial perspective view of the container of FIGURE I illustrating the annular indentation in the container.

FIGURE VII is a sectional view of the annular indentation of the container of FIGURE I and the stop block of the closure of FIGURE III, showing their relationship.

FIGURE VIII is a partial vertical section of a conical shaped dispenser according to this invention.

FIGURE IX is a partial horizontal sectional view along lines B-B of FIGURE VIII.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGURE I illustrates a cylindrically-shaped container of this invention designated as 10, having a top opening of a diameter equal to that of the container. The container wall 11 is shown having a uniform thickness. In the rim of the wall of the container is a vertical indentation 12 extending along the rim between two stop facings 13. This indentation 12 may be of any suitable length and, if desired, there may be more than one indentation spaced along the rim. Two indentations placed on opposite sides of the rim as indicated in FIGURE II are usually sufficient if more than one is required. The indentation serves as a conduit for the contents of the dispenser from the container 10 to openings in the closure. It is to be noted in FIGURES I and VI that the height of the stop facing 13 on the outside of the wall, indicated as 13', is less than the height of the stop facing on the inside of the wall, indicated as 13". Thus, it will be seen that indentation 12 has a beveled surface v15 sloping inwardly from apex 12 of indentation 12. This beveled surface assists the fiow of material from the container to the opening in the closure when the contents are to be dispensed. Additionally, the downward slope of the surface causes all or substantially all of the material not dispensed to flow back into the container of its own accord when the container is set upright.

The upper part of the wall 11 is further characterized by an annular projecting bead, generally noted as 16 formed integrally with the wall at the level of the indentation 12 and more specifically at the apex 12' as particularly shown in FIGURE VI. The bead 16 has an outwardly beveled surface 17, leading away from the outer surface of the wall, which cooperates with the closure as is explained below. Projecting downwardly from the beveled surface v17 is a ring 18 which cooperates with a bottom surface 19 to retain the closure on the container. The bead 16 is formed without any indentations in surface 17 or ring 18 so that surface 17 is continuous and forms a sharp edge with the surface 15 at the apex 12'. Forming the bead with a smooth surface 17 and positioning the bead at the apex 12 prevents the contents from spilling out from the indentation into a space bet-ween the closure and wall. While the annular projectin'g bead .16 is preferred, it is a further embodiment of this invention to provide a container having an indentation in the wall of the container instead of the bead 16. This embodiment is not shown but all surfaces thereof are analogous to those of head 16 as shown in FIGURES I and VI.

Closure 20 is formed as an integral unit resembling, in the most common embodiment as shown in FIGURE III, a cylinder of one diameter axially set upon a cylinder of a greater diameter. The closure comprises a top 21 in which openings of a perforated or shaker type 22 or of a slotted or pouring type 23 are located adjacent the inner surface of the closure wall 24. Either type of opening may he present in the closure depending upon the intended use and contents or both may be present as shown in FIGURE III. Extending outwardly and downwardly from the closure wall 24 is skirt 25 having a beveled outer surface 26 and matching inner surface 26 which is in slidable contact with beveled surface 17 when the closure is placed on the container. Ski-rt 25 is provided with an annular ring 27 which extends inwardly. Referring also to FIGURES IV and V, ring 27 has a chamfered surface 27 sloping upwardly from the bottom surface 28 of the ring to the upper surface 29 of the ring. When the closure 20 is properly placed on the container 10, the upper surface 29 will slidably engage the bottom surface 19 of the bead 16 so as to lock ring 27 below bead 16 thereby preventing upward movement of the closure from the container during use of the dispenser. Locking the closure onto the container requires little pressure due to the camming action produced when beveled surface 17 engages charnfered surface 27' and the resiliency of the plastic material. This method of engaging closure and container produces an excellent locking and sealing of the container and closure which will withstand the normal abuse from use and during shipment.

Within the closure is the important stop block 30. This block performs the function of insuring that the openings are properly positioned for the dispensing of the contents and that the openings are also properly positioned to prevent unwanted discharge of the contents. Normally the block is positioned on the inner surface of top 21

adjacent openings

22 or 23. As shown in FIGURE III, the block is formed as an integral part of the closure on the inner surface of top 21 of cap 28 and the inner surface of the closure wall 24. The thickness of the block is equal to the thickness of the rim of the wall of the container. Reference should be made to FIGURE VII. Side 31 of the stop block is formed as a radially cut surface and will fit tightly against a stop facing 13 when brought into contact with the facing. Side 31 has a configuration identical to stop facing 13 in that the vertical edge 31 formed at the inner surface of closure wall 24 is of lesser length than the vertical edge 31" formed contiguous with the inner surface of the container wall at the indentation. Thus edge 31' is equal in length to edge 13 of the stop facing and edge 31" equal in length to edge 13" of the stop facing. Therefore, the underside of the stop block has a beveled surface 32 identical in slope to beveled surface 15 of the indentation. Since these two surfaces are in sliding contact when the closure andcontainer are assembled, movement of the stop block along indentation 12 resuli's in a wiping of surface 15 by the underside 32 of stop block 30. This wiping action causes any material which did not flow back into the container of its own accord to be loosened and/or pushed free to flow back into the container.

To complete the cleaning of material from surface 15, the side of the stop block nearest the openings is formed as a scraping face 33. To form this face 33, the width of the block along closure wall 24 is greater than the width of the block at its forward end 30'. Whereas side 31 is formed as a radial plane, scraping face 33 is formed as a chordal plane, making an acute angle across surface 15. As a result, when the stop block is moved from an open to closed position, any material on the surface 15 is not only loosened or pushed along this surface but is directed inwardly by the angle of face 33, thus insuring cleaning of surface 15 and the return to the container of all material not dispensed. It is the combined wiping and scraping action of underside 32 and scraping face 3-3 along surface 15 of the indentation 12 which permits the dispenser of this invention to be used with dry or liquid materials.

FIGURE II depicts another shape for the container of this invention which is distinguished from the container shown in FIGURE I principally by the tubular neck which rises from the top wall 81 of the container and by the presence of two

indentations

82 and 82. This tubular neck in effect is a smaller version of the cylindrical container 10 0f FIGURE I. The number of indentations in such a tubular neck would be formed in the same manner as shown in FIGURE I or FIGURE VI. Although the container shown in FIGURE II has a cylindrical shape, it could also be rectangular or pyramidal or coneshaped. In each instance, however, the tubular neck would be formed on the upper surface of the container.

Referring again to FIGURE II, one may ascertain an appropriate arrangement for accommodating both the perforated openings and the slotted openings in the closure. Inclusion of both types of openings would be most useful for dispensers of such materials as salt, sugar or powdered condiments such as are used in preparing foods. Although the container depicted is that requiring a tubular neck, similar indentations can be formed in the container shown in FIGURE I. To adapt the dispenser for both perforated and slotted openings, indentations 82 and 82' must differ in size. Indentation 82 should be shorter for example than indentation 82'. Generally, indentation 82 is slightly less than one-half the length of indentation 82' and the spacing between indentations 82 and 82' around the rim of the opening is not less than the length of indentation 82. These lengths are critical. Indentation 82 will be of a length to accommodate the peripheral length of the perforated opening 22 to allow dispensing from the perforated opening but not the slotted opening 23 which will be positioned over the one unindented rim portion of the rim of the tubular neck 80. When the closure is rotated to place the slotted type opening over the indentation 82 then the perforated openings will be over the other unindented portion of the rim of the tubular neck. Thus, it will be seen that the length of indentation 82 will be at least twice the length of indentation 82 to permit sufiicient movement of the stop block to permit either type of opening to be placed over indentation 82.

With this type of indentation, the stop block will not wipe and scrap-e the beveled face of the indentation 82. However, the beveled surface will direct the contents back into the container when such a dispenser is placed upright.

FIGURE VIII illustrates yet another embodiment of the dispenser of this invention. The container 40 is of conical configuration with the opening formed by a horizontal plane. Aside from the difference in shape of container 40 from container of FIGURE I or the tubular neck 80 of FIGURE II, the important difference is that the indentation 42 (FIGURE IX) is formed vertically rather than horizontally as in FIGURE I or II. Whereas beveled surface of container 10 or tubular neck 80 slopes downwardly and inwardly, the similar surface 45 of container is vertical. It can be said that the indentation is formed laterally with respect to the vertical axis of container 40 rather than vertically, as in container 10 or tubular neck 80.

The closure for use with container 40 is formed according to the principles discussed above with respect to closure 20 in FIGURE III. The stop block fits within indentation 45 in the same manner as stop block 30 fits in indentation 12. One principal difference is that scraping face 63, FIGURE X, of stop block 60 is angeled with respect to the horizontal whereas scraping face 33 of stop block 30 is angled with respect to the vertical. Both scraping faces function in an identical manner and thus scraping face 63 moves across indentation 42 scraping any material from identation surface 45 and directing it back into the container 41. Indentation 42 has two stop faces 43 as shown in FIGURES VIII and IX which are tri angular rather than trapezoidal as in FIGURE VI. Surface 45 has an upper knife-like edge 45' and a lower edge 45" forming an obtuse angle with the inner wall surface of container 41. Otherwise, this embodiment of the present invention functions identically as those heretofore described.

The above detailed description of various embodiments of the present invention are not to be construed as limiting. It is apparent that other modifications may readily occur to those skilled in this art and therefore the scope of the present invention should be governed by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A dispenser comprising:

(a) an open end container having an upstanding peripheral rim surrounding said opening, said peripheral rim having an uppermost top surface with at least one vertically disposed indentation projecting downwardly therein and partially therearound the peripheral extent of said upstanding rim immediately adjoining said open end, said indentation defining opposed stop faces at either side thereof and a base surface contiguously between said stop faces, said base surface having an upwardly oriented generally wedge-shaped configuration comprising a first inner base surface portion extending upwardly-outwardly from the inner periphery of said container end to an apex positioned generaly centrally of the container wall thickness of said open end and a second base surface portion extending outwardly from said apex towards the outer periphery of said open end, said container also having locking means around its periphery proximate said open end and said indentation; and

(b) a dispensing closure adapted to telescope over the open end of said container and engage said locking means whereby vertical movement of the closure with respect to the container is prevented; said closure comprising a top and a skirt depending therefrom, said closure having a plurality of dispensing openings in said top and also having integral therewith a rotation limiting stop block depending from the underside of the top adjacent the openings, said stop block being in continual sliding engagement with the base surface of said indentation, said peripheral top surface contacting peripheral under portions of said closure top so as to block said dispensing openings when said stop block is in a non-dispensing position relative to said container.

2. The dispenser as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one face of the stop block makes an acute angle with respect to said first base surface of the indentation, whereby movement of the stop block biases residual material within the indentation back into the container.

3. A dispenser comprising:

(a) an open end container having an upstanding peripheral rim surrounding said opening, said peripheral rim having an uppermost top surface with at least one verticaly disposed indentation projecting downwardly therein and partially therearound the peripheral extent of said upstanding rim immediately adjoining said open end, said indentation defining opposed stop faces at either side thereof and a base surface oontiguously between stop faces, said container also having locking means around its periphery proximate said open end and said indentation; and

(b) a dispensing closure adapted to telescope over the open end of said container and engage said locking means whereby vertical movement of the closure with respect to the container is prevented; said closure comprising a top and a skirt depending therefrom, said closure having a plurality of dispensing openings in said top and also having integral therewith a rotation limiting stop block depending from the underside of the top adjacent the openings, said stop block being in continual sliding engagement with the base surface of said indentation, and wherein the plane defined by at least one face of the stop block intersects with the base surface of said indentation along a line forming an acute angle therewith whereby said above movement of the stop block biases residual material on the indentation back into the container.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,121,519 2/1964 Cherba 222519 3,136,458 6/1964 Ruetz 222562 3,237,819 3/1966 Fillmore 222548 3,261,516 7/1966 Allen 222548 3,276,643 10/1966 Klygis 222548 3,179,290 4/1965 Whitney 222571 3,209,964 10/1965 Knight 222548 3,214,068 10/ 1965 Armour 222548 ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.